


mint hot chocolate (and other ways to say i love you)

by perihelion (mattratat)



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: College AU, M/M, sweet sweet slice of life baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattratat/pseuds/perihelion
Summary: Snow had begun to fall, clouds blocking out what little light was left of the waning sun.Riku loved campus on nights like these. The cobblestone streets had torn the bottom of his car to hell and back, but he couldn’t help but admire how timeless they looked as the snow began to stick to them. The streetlamps were covered in tinsel and someone had wrapped fairy lights around the bare branches of the trees along the road.Of course, the best part of the view was Sora, who had gotten a little ahead of him.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 53





	mint hot chocolate (and other ways to say i love you)

Riku wondered if coffee number five would finally be the one to make him feel alive again. He kind of doubted it, but it was worth a shot anyways. He yawned, telling himself that he’d get up to go get it in just a moment. He only needed to read one more page, then he could go get another coffee. Maybe with caramel and almond syrup… light foam… 

He shook his head, trying to get his eyes to focus on the words on the page, but they were still swimming despite his best efforts. He groaned, closing his textbook with enough force to startle the poor girl studying two tables down from him. He cringed, waving a sheepish apology over at her when she glared at him. Normally, he’d be a little put off that someone would get mad over something like that, but he understood her frustration. Finals week was approaching, meaning everyone was more than a little high strung these days. 

Including Riku, unfortunately. 

Maybe his glasses were the problem, he lied to himself. After all, if they were dirty, he couldn’t read the detailed analysis of war courts from so many years ago that it made his head spin, right? Why was he even studying history again? He was an art major, for crying out loud, he didn’t need to know any of this. Right? 

He’d already cleaned his glasses three times, so one more couldn’t hurt. And besides, it meant that he could focus on something other than this archaic text for thirty seconds, so… 

“Hey Riku!” A voice behind him said as he cleaned his glasses for the sixth time, startling him out of his concentration for getting the last spec of dirty on them. “Looks like you’re studying hard.” 

Riku put his glasses back on and turned to see Sora, who was grinning at him, backpack slung over his shoulder, looking like the world’s most glorious distraction given to him on a silver platter. “Hey, Sora. What are you doing here?” 

“What do you think?” Sora pouted, dropping his bookbag in the floor and sitting down across from Riku. “I’m here to study.” 

Riku tried his very best not to look surprised at that. “Really?”

It wasn’t that Riku didn’t think Sora was capable of sitting down and studying (although, to be fair, he wasn’t), it was just that when Sora actually  _ did _ sit down to study, he preferred to go to his favorite cafe, solely for the aesthetic, or the studio, so he could get up and dance when he started feeling restless. Riku wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Sora in the library before, now that he thought about it. 

Sora frowned at his disbelief, but it didn’t last very long before the familiar smile overtook it and he shrugged. “Nah, of course not. I called Kairi to find out where you were since you weren’t answering.” 

Riku remembered that he’d put his phone on do not disturb mode earlier with lingering guilt. “Sorry.” 

Sora shrugged again, seemingly unswayed. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your studies, but I really didn’t want to wait to tell you this. Also, it doesn’t exactly look like you’re getting much done. What  _ are  _ you studying, anyways?” 

“The Keyblade War Treaty and the reparations plan,” Riku answered, squinting down at his textbook. “I think.”

Sora winced. “Sounds boring.” 

“It’s actually pretty interesting. The way they managed to rebuild Scala without triggering another war was really impressive, not to mention the fact that…” Riku could see that he was losing Sora. “I’ve just been studying for a while, that’s all.” 

Sora looked a little guilty for getting caught zoning out, scratching the back of his neck like he always did when he was anxious. “Sorry, I was listening, I swear! It sounds interesting… at least when you talk about it, anyways.” 

Riku smiled. He knew that Sora had a hard time focusing when it came to information dumps. “Thanks. So what’s your news?”

Sora’s face lit up. “Oh, right! Remember how my mom was talking about that promotion at work when she visited last week?” 

Riku nodded. 

“Well, she got it!” Sora’s smile was wide, but Riku had known him long enough to know when he was forcing it. 

“That’s great! But?” Riku

“But what?” Sora asked. 

Before Riku could answer, there was the distinct sound of someone shushing them coming from about two tables over. 

He glanced over to see the girl glaring at him again. He was pretty sure she was in one of his classes, but he couldn’t remember which for the life of him. 

“We should probably whisper,” he said to Sora, nodding towards her. “Don’t wanna be rude.” 

“I have a better idea!” Sora stage whispered. “Why don’t we get out of here?” 

“I have to study,” Riku pointed out, but even he knew it was already a lost cause. It had been since he’d started cleaning his glasses for the sixth time, before Sora even showed up. 

“Okay, but,” Sora said, in a matter of fact voice and a glint in his eyes like he already knew that he’d won, “It started snowing on my way here and Chakram’s has a new mint hot cocoa that I know you’ll love.” 

In Riku’s defense, saying no to an argument like that was downright impossible. “All right, you win. Give me a sec to pack my things up.” 

Once his notes and books were safely assembled in his back, Riku took Sora’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled out of the library. 

* * *

Sora was right; Chakram’s  _ did _ have the best peppermint hot cocoa for a thousand miles. Somehow, Axel had managed to find the perfect ratio between mint and chocolate. Riku made a mental note to get him a holiday present this year. 

Sora was holding his own hot chocolate (mint free, he’d pointed out, thank you very much) with both his hands to keep warm, which was unfortunate, because Riku kind of wanted to hold his hand right now. 

Snow had begun to fall, clouds blocking out what little light was left of the waning sun. 

Riku loved campus on nights like these. The cobblestone streets had torn the bottom of his car to hell and back, but he couldn’t help but admire how timeless they looked as the snow began to stick to them. The streetlamps were covered in tinsel and someone had wrapped fairy lights around the bare branches of the trees along the road. 

Of course, the best part of the view was Sora, who had gotten a little ahead of him. His bright red coat and matching ear muffs gave him the look of someone who had just walked out of a Hallmark movie. Or, it would have, if his hair wasn’t such a mess. 

Sora looked over his shoulder and smiled, his head tilted just slightly as he teased, “Hurry up, slowpoke.” 

Riku loved him more than words could ever describe. He fought the lump rising in his throat as he caught up to his boyfriend, rolling his eyes as the name calling. “I’m not slow, you just walk too fast.” 

“I walk a perfectly normal speed,” Sora pouted, knocking his shoulder against Riku’s as they walked. “I just want to get there before anyone else can take our spot.” 

Riku doubted that the urgency wasn’t in vain; the spot in question rarely found itself occupied. Still, he picked up his pace to match Sora’s. 

Their spot, as Sora called it, technically belonged to the university. The bursar’s office was not a place either of them thought of particularly fondly, but it did have a landing outside the entrance that overlooked the entire green. 

Just like Riku suspected, there wasn’t a soul in sight when they reached the green, let alone anyone sitting on the landing. He set his bag under the covered archway of the door, praying that the snow wouldn’t find its way to his laptop inside. When he turned around, Sora was already sitting, his legs in between the railings so they could dangle over the edge. Riku moved to join him, careful to keep from spilling his drink. 

“Kind of empty tonight,” Sora commented, frowning. 

“It is nearly finals week,” Riku reminded. “Some people actually study.” 

Sora snorted. “Their loss. It’s a beautiful night.” 

Riku wanted to point out that it was also sort of freezing, but decided against it. Instead, he said, “Then it’s a beautiful view just for us.” 

“That’s sappy,” Sora said, leaning his head against Riku’s shoulder. 

“I haven’t seen you all day,” Riku replied, “I’ve got a days worth of sappiness all saved up.” 

“Well, two can play at that game, honeybuns,” Sora said, sounding really proud of himself for coming up with possibly the worst pet name Riku had heard this year. 

Riku faked a gag, “That’s terrible.” 

Sora sighed dramatically, falling so that he was lying on his back before pulling Riku down beside him, mostly so he could Riku’s arm as a pillow. Riku, of course, didn’t mind. “You just don’t appreciate the art of nicknames.” 

“Sure I do,” Riku answered, pausing for a moment before adding, “Babycakes.” 

Sora’s laugh was deafening from his spot right beside Riku’s ear. “That’s awful.” 

“I think you’re not appreciating the art of nicknames,” Riku said, smirking even though Sora couldn’t see him. 

Sora huffed, but didn’t dignify Riku’s stolen insult with an answer. 

That was okay, though, because they’d grown more than comfortable with silence together. Especially out here, on a night like this, when they could just appreciate the comfort of lying together under the stars. 

Not that there were really any stars to be seen right now, but it was still nice to watch the light reflecting off of snowflakes as they fell towards the ground. 

“What are you thinking about?” Riku said, just a few minutes into the silence that had fallen between them. 

Sora sighed, a sound Riku wasn’t used to hearing from him. When Sora spoke, even his naturally loud and cheerful voice seemed dulled, “My mom.” 

That made sense, but to be honest, Riku wasn’t sure how to respond. Sora had always been the one comforting him when his parents weren’t around. Now that the tables had been turned, he wasn’t sure what to say. 

“It’s a stupid thing to be bummed about, isn’t it?” Sora sighed, saving Riku the trouble of having to come up with an answer. The weight of his head was starting to make Riku’s arm go numb, but he wasn’t about to say anything about it. The snow was freezing beneath them; Sora’s body heat was the only thing keeping Riku from frostbite. “I should just be happy for her. I am happy for her. But...” 

“It’s not stupid,” Riku told him, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He hated when Sora called himself stupid, whether it was indirectly or directly. It reminded him of when they were younger, when Sora had heard and said it enough times that he’d started to believe it. Riku wasn’t about to let him get back in the habit again. “You were looking forward to spending break together. It’s not stupid to be disappointed about it.” 

Sora sighed, pressing himself closer into Riku’s side. “I guess. It’s going to be lonely being home without her, though… At least I’ll have Meow Wow to keep me company.”

Riku snorted at the mention of Sora’s old pug. In a perfect world, they could go get her and spend the first half of the holiday’s in Riku’s apartment, where Sora wouldn’t have to worry about feeling alone. 

Actually. 

That wasn’t a bad idea. 

Riku explained as much to Sora. 

“And then I could pick you up again when she leaves and we can throw a New Years party,” Riku finished. 

“I would love that,” Sora said, his voice hopeful, “But won’t your parents be mad if you don’t go home?” 

“You know how my folks are,” Riku said. A twinge of bitter anger chipped at his heart at the mention of his parents, but he hid his mild rage with a smile. “They won’t even notice I’m gone. We can have the best Winter Break ever, together.” 

“Really?” Sora sat up, using one hand on Riku’s stomach to prop himself up as Riku let let out a soft “oof” under the sudden weight. “You don’t think Roxas would mind having me around the apartment?” 

“Nah,” Riku answered. Sora was looking down on him, blue eyes wide and shiny from tears he hadn’t been willing to cry. It made his heart swell uncomfortably. “He’s probably going to spend most of the break at Ventus’ place anyways, like he did last year.” 

Instead of answering, Sora threw his arms around Riku, pulling him in for a tight hug. “Thanks, Riku.” 

Riku was more than happy to hold him. 

Not forever, though, because not even the warmth of Sora’s body heat was enough to keep him from freezing out in the snow. 

“Can we please go inside now?” Riku asked, wincing at the way his teeth were starting to chatter as he spoke. 

“Fine,” Sora whined, but his grin gave away his bluff. “But I’m inviting myself over. If Roxas complains tell him he doesn’t get any cookies.” 

“Deal,” Riku said.

“Seal it with a kiss?” Sora answered.

Riku was more than happy to oblige. 

**Author's Note:**

> this took me like 30 minutes to title bc it just sat in my drafts as "wah wah waluji" for like a month before i finally finished it
> 
> thanks for reading!!! 
> 
> please kudos and comment if u enjoyed!!! it means the world to me<3 also feel free to stop by my twitter @vanitashours for the daily soriku sobbing fest kadsjvf
> 
> have a great day!!!


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